U.S. Embassy in Beirut Asserts South Lebanon Belongs to the State, Not Militias

The U.S. Embassy in Lebanon issued the following statement:

"Every day, the Lebanese people clearly express their preference for the institutions of the Lebanese state over Hezbollah's weapons. South Lebanon does not belong to regional entities or militias. The United States commends these communities and supports the Lebanese government's declared goal of asserting sovereignty, enforced by the Lebanese army, and ensuring that decisions of war and peace rest exclusively in the hands of the Lebanese state."